Have your say on reducing HS2 noise in Wendover

Published by Charlotte Fisher at 12:29pm 27th November 2018. (Updated at 8:49am 29th November 2018)

People in Wendover can have their say on how to protect the village from HS2 construction noise.

Buckinghamshire County Council are asking residents to say which noise reduction scheme they would prefer.

You will have five weeks to state your preferences, following two consultation launch events at Wendover Library on Friday 30th November and Saturday 1st December.

They will be able to choose from four options:

Noise barriers up to 13ft (4m) high, with a total length of just over half a mile (980m), at three locations between Wendover bypass and village housing, which should last up to 20 years.
Low noise surfacing on just over a mile (1.94km) of the bypass nearest to the village, with a life expectancy of up to 60 years.
Very low noise surfacing on up to 1.94km of the bypass nearest to the village, with a life expectancy of up to 20 years.
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Have your say on noise reduction from HS2 in Wendover — Bucks County Council want to hear from residents even though HS2 may not change their mind on putting the money towards barriers

Funding of £1.51 million is coming from HS2 Ltd, but Buckinghamshire County Council says the money has been designated specifically for noise barriers along the bypass. And this was given without consulting residents and businesses in Wendover.

Mark Shaw, Deputy Leader and Transport Cabinet Member, said:

"I recognise residents have differing views on how to reduce noise from HS2 construction traffic, which is why we're asking them to let us know their preferences for the type of scheme.

"We asked HS2 whether they'd agree to change their designation to include another solution, but they couldn't give us that guarantee before our consultation."

However, he said the County Council would still go ahead and consult residents on their preferred solution, even though it's possible HS2 may not change its mind.

The result of the consultation will guide the County Council's formal request to HS2 about the designation, and subsequent Cabinet Member decision.

Details of the options, along with diagrams, are available here and a link to the survey will be live from 30 November.

Paper copies of the survey will be available at Wendover Library.

The consultation will close on Friday 4th January 2019.